Requiem of Fate
by EbonyShroud
Summary: When someone begins attacking the barrier that keeps Ganondorf from returning to Hyrule, Link is forced to team up with a horror from Hyrule's past in order to fight against the darkness sweeping over Hyrule.
1. Prologue

**A/N: In case anyone had read the beginning for this before and recognized part of it, this is the rewrite of a former story I had begun writing about two years ago called Dragons of Hyrule. Now that I finally took a good look at it and finished revising the plot for the story, I feel more comfortable writing and posting it. Please enjoy.**

* * *

It was a calm peaceful night at Lake Hylia. The round white moon let soothing beams of soft silver light gaze upon the lake and its shore. The waves glinted as the light touched the water, each wave rimmed with silver before it sank to the water's surface. In the middle of the lake, an island with a large dead tree sat in the silver lake. Underneath the dead tree, ignorant that the night had cast a shadow over the land, was the Zora Princess, Ruto. She leaned against the dead tree, finding a strange sort of comfort in its strong husk.

"It seemed so long ago, those seven long wretched years when the world was shrouded in never-ending darkness and ruled by that demon Ganondorf. Now we can only hope that our children will remember the trails we sages and Link had faced," She murmured, a grief-stricken sob rattling her thin frame when she muttered Link's name. She felt foolish for a moment, she had not meant for her thoughts to escape her.

"Why, Link? Why did you not accept the proposal?" A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye as she muttered to herself. It slipped down her cheek and quivered at the tip of her chin. She looked down at her lap, where a coral pink ocarina sat docile. The Ocarina of Water, the instrument passed down from Water Sage to Water Sage. It recorded the memories of the sage, passing on the information of the past to the next sage awakened during times of turmoil. All of the sages had one; they were embedded in their hearts unless they are awakened as the sage. For a moment, she wished she never woke up as the sage. After she was awakened, Link drew farther and farther away, until the marriage was destroyed.

Then the land and the lake around her became steeped in shadow, the bright moonlight vanishing in an instant. She suddenly looked up to the sky; the thick summer storm clouds had drifted temporarily in front of the moon's silver face. Her startled face quickly melted back to another expression of grief and she tried to return to her sad thoughts. However, she heard the sound of movement, the rustle of grass and the muffled steps of boots. She looked towards the noise, wondering dully who it was. A figure stood there, stiff and tall in the swaying grass, and it looked like the one she treasured deep in her heart.

"Link!" She exclaimed, standing up and walking quickly over. Then, the moon's light shifted through the clods and she faltered. Her blue eyes dulled with dark surprise, the glee that had momentarily bubbled from her heart crushed in an instant. It was not Link. It looked like him, but her Link was different. The thick blonde hair she remembered was black as the night, ruby eyes gleaming with dark energy a contrast to Link's majestic blue. Then, there was a silver flash and his sword cut across her chest, leaving a thin line of blood in its wake. She stared down at the cut in shock before looking back up at the person before her.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly. The doppleganger smiled, a thin twisted smile that made Ruto's skin tingle with fear.

"Give me the Ocarina, sage," It hissed, bringing the weapon back up as if ready to attack. Ruto nearly allowed a sob to escape her, the demon had a voice just like Link. However, her precious Link would never hold a weapon towards her like this doppelganger was. She quickly put the precious ocarina into a small magical pouch, deep inside her body. The creature scowled, its sword flashed again before she could blink. She screamed and stumbled backwards, clutching her eyes. Something hot and sticky surged past her fingers, dripping down her face despite her efforts to stop the bleeding. A rough boot slammed into her chest, knocking her onto her back. Something in her chest cracked and sharp pain erupted in her lungs as she tried taking a breath. The breath she had taken was immediately forced back out in the form of a shrill scream as cold merciless steel sliced into her stomach.

"It would have been much less painful had you just given the ocarina to me, foolish Sage. Your death would have been swift and simple," She heard the demon laugh as it pulled out the sword and slashed at her thigh, stopping as the blade encountered bone. Then, the sword became motionless as she heard the loud outraged voices of her fellow Zoras from under her screams. The blade was pulled free from her thigh and the demonic aura above her vanished into the night.

"Princess!" She dimly heard one of them exclaim in horror. The two Zoras fell to their knees beside her, their soft cold hands trying to comfort her and stop the bloodflow. She stared blankly up at their horrified faces and knew that she had little time left; she summoned the ocarina with what little magic that remained in her and concentrated as hard as she could. She had to trap her memories inside the ocarina, all she had left to give, so that Princess Zelda could know what had happened. With the last of her strength, she pushed the precious instrument into the hands of the Zora nearest her.

"Make sure…that Princess…Zelda gets…this…immediately…" She gasped, ignoring her swollen throat's pain and the burning sensation in her lungs. She dully noticed that the pain and burning sensation had started to die away, leaving those spots heavy and hollow.

"No, Princess! Please, hold on! It's will be okay, I promise!" The Zora cried, dropping the ocarina as he cradeled Ruto in his shaking arms. Their terrified sobs of despair were dim to her ears. She gently reached up touched the scared Zora's face, smiling even though she couldn't feel the touch. Her ruined eyes tried searching in the new darkness that hid the world from her gaze, still trying to see despite the injury.

"Please…hurry…"


	2. Dreams and Tears

**AN: Sorry, I decided to change the title. I switched Darkness with Fate, simply because Darkness makes a rather silly title and Fate seemed to fit the plot of the story much better. I apologize if anyone becomes confused or annoyed about this. **

* * *

"Princess Zelda, are you all right?" The princess quickly perked up her head, looking up at her chief adviser standing to the right of her throne. The adviser stared at her, worry etched in the thin lines of his face.

"My apologies, I have not gotten much sleep," She said as she quickly sat up and brushed her dress to remove the wrinkles that had managed to form, regaining the stiff posture she had been in before she had drifted off to sleep. Several of the nobles glanced at her from their various locations around the huge throne hall, although they quickly glanced away and focused their attention on something else once they noticed that they had been spotted. Zelda could see Impa's tall shadow near the end of the hall, watching people enter and depart to make sure none of them carried any weapons that could be used against the court. Impa glanced at the princess, nodded when she knew Zelda was watching her, and returned her attention to the wandering nobles.

"From a king, or queen, it is a sign of weakness. Someone could easily take advantage of that weakness and plot against you," He growled quietly, so that his words were not noticed by the other nobles that were lingering near them. She nodded glumly; she didn't need her adviser to get upset. The last time one of her advisers had become upset, he went rampaging through town claiming that she was not fit to sit upon the throne and that he deserved to be king. He had been quickly dealt with, but it still hurt the pride of the court and Zelda's own personal pride.

"Your duties should be done for today, however. Why don't you get some rest and listen to more of these trivial problems tomorrow?" He said, smiling wearily at her as he took a scroll from a waiting page and unrolled it. She smiled gratefully towards him before rushing to one of the hidden doors used by the servants of the castle and scurried out of the throne room.

* * *

"Princess, are you there?" The princess looked up, she was sitting in the garden, petting a bored silver cat that had been given to her as a present for her twenty-first birthday. The garden was a replica of the one that had been destroyed by Ganondorf, the place where she had met Link for the first time and started the plan to stop the Gerudo. She even had the same type of flowers planted, as if she could bring back her childhood with a simple reconstruction. The person calling out to her, her guardian and caretaker Impa, came into the courtyard. She walked over and knelt next to the girl.

"You have not gotten any sleep for the past three days. Is something in your dreams bothering you?" The woman asked, looking down worriedly at her charge. Even though she had grown into a fine young woman despite the life she had led during those seven years of Ganondorf's rule, she still acted impulsively and childishly whenever she was not accompanied by the nobles of the court.

"Something's wrong in Hyrule, I can sense it. My dreams have been comprised of only shadows, winds, and flames," Zelda replied softly, the cat rolling in the girl's lap and batting at a strand of gold hair that had spilled over her shoulder.

"I thought as much. Do you think Ganondorf is trying to break the seal?" Impa asked, watching the young princess play absently with the cat.

"No, he can't be. As long as the Master Sword remains undisturbed, it and the power of the Sages will him to the Dark Realm, he can not return with it in place," Zelda muttered, her words hollow despite her own beliefs. That's what they believed, that the Master Sword with the magic of the sages was binding the deranged Gerudo to the Dark Realm. As long as the sword remained buried in a secret vault beneath the temple, the seal would not falter. Even Link could not touch the blade, for fear that it would react to his touch.

"Princess, you need to stand up. Someone is coming," Impa said as she brushed the cat quickly off the girl's lap. The cat stopped purring as it was shoved off of Zelda's warm lap and glared angrily up at Impa. Impa ignored the cat's accusatory glare and helped Zelda to her feet. Zelda quickly brushed off the grass that were on her milky-white dress and turned to the entrance. Two guards came into the courtyard, escorting two gloomy Zoras. Their blue skin glinted in the warm sun's light as they knelt before them.

"Greetings to you, Princess Zelda," The taller and presumably older Zora said as they stood up.

"Welcome to Hyrule Castle, friends. What is it you came here for?" Zelda replied.

"Our beloved Princess asked us to give this to you," The Zora said. The younger Zora pulled out a small dainty pouch and held it out to Zelda. Zelda took the small parcel and opened it. She kept herself from biting her lip as she tipped the bag over and the Ocarina of Water dropped onto her palm.

"What happened to Princess Ruto?" She asked, already fearing what the answer would be. Ruto was not allowed to part with the Ocarina of Water, at least not without a good reason.

"Our princess was murdered, butchered by some demon-man while she was by the temple. He gorged out her eyes, as if she was a common criminal in our courts..." The smaller zora sniffed, tears already forming in his eyes. The elder zora nudged him to try and hold off the tears from the younger one, but it was too late to stop them. Zelda bit her lip, she knew the Zora's custom of gouging out the eyes of traitors just before execution. It was to hamper their chances of reaching the world beyond the next. For this to happen to Ruto must be horrific to the Zoras, that there might be a chance that their beloved princess might not find the path to the world beyond.

"Thank you for delivering this to me and give my prayers to your king. Princess Ruto was a dear friend of mine and it sorrows me to hear of her death. You may leave for your realm," She said quietly. The two nodded and bowed before leaving the garden.

"Is this what you sensed in your dreams, princess?" Impa asked, looking down at the Ocarina. She knew what it was; she had a similar cobalt ocarina with the Shadow Crest.

"No, but she should have her memories in this ocarina. She wanted us to know what happened to her, maybe whoever attacked her is causing this," Zelda said quietly, drawing power from the reservoir of magic buried deep inside her soul and concentrating on the pink ocarina. Its reaction came swiftly, wrapping her mind in the memories of past Water Sages. She shifted through the memories, passing ages of memories before she found Ruto's memories.

* * *

Impa stood beside her charge, watching the princess as she watched the memories of the water sage. Impa did not know exactly what the princess was watching, besides that they were the memories of long-dead sages. Zelda sighed, her eyes beginning to move side to side like she was reading her favorite ancient scroll rather than watching another creature's life played out before her. Then, she suddenly fell limp; Impa withheld a yelp of shock as she caught the princess before she hit the ground. The Ocarina of Water tumbled out of her hands, landing with a small thump on the grass.

"Princess!" She yelled, startling the guards standing at the doors.

"Where's the intruder?" They shouted as they rushed into the garden, trampling over the flowers and brandishing their polished spears as they looked around for an intruder to attempt to threaten. Impa's yell seemed to startle Zelda out of her daze, she opened her eyes and glanced up at the woman holding her. Light blue eyes stared up in dazed confusion, the confusion replaced moments later with worry.

"Impa, get Link and bring him here as fast as you can," She whispered.


	3. A Quiet Day at the Ranch

The sun was high in the sky when Link went to feed the cows. As he entered the barn, all the cows mooed at him in anticipation of their food, peering over the tops of their stalls to see him. Link smiled to himself as he walked over to one of the horse's stalls and peered in.

"Hello, Epona," He said. The mare greeted him by pressing her face against his own. He smiled before gently pushing the horse's face away and scratching her behind the ears. He glanced and was instantly drawn to her swollen belly. She snorted in his face, as if she knew what he was looking at. He laughed at Epona's snort before walking towards the cows.

"Hello, Link," He heard as he started feeding the cows. He almost missed the voice, the cows were all mooing their thanks and hunger as they dove into the food.

"Hello, Malon. Today's going to be a hot one, isn't it?" Link called out as he noticed Malon coming in.

"It's not that bad, remember how hot it was two years ago?" Malon called as she picked up a leather bag from one of the hooks near the hay pile and looped it over her shoulder. Link smiled as he remembered how hot the days were that year. Sometimes, they kept the animals inside and avoided leaving shaded areas whenever they could.

"How's she doing?" Link asked as he noticed Malon heading towards Epona's stall.

"She's doing great. She's going to have a big baby, that's for sure," Malon said as she walked into the stall. Link could hear a few gentle murmurs from the stall as Malon talked with the mare, although he couldn't hear what she was saying. He continued with his work, finishing after several more minutes of work. He set the pitchfork he used against the barn wall and began wondering wether it was his turn or not to clean out the cow stalls.

"Dad! Get out here now! It's starting!" Link froze as he heard Malon's shriek. He rushed over to Epona's stall, only to be confronted by Malon. Past the girl, Link could see his beloved horse for a brief second, lying on her side and groaning, before Malon blocked his view.

"You should go and finish the rest of the chores, Link. Take this," Malon said as she shoved a leather bag full of feed for the cuccos into Link's hands.

"I want to stay with her," Link protested.

"No, you'll just be in the way. Go on outside and continue with the chores," Malon said, pointing towards the door. Link frowned before trudging slowly towards the barn. He walked out into the warm sunlight and shut the barn door behind him, so that Malon knew that he had left. He glanced down at the bag of feed, frowning as he noticed that it was only half-full.

"What are you doing out here?" Talon asked as he bustled out of the house and rushed towards the barn.

"Malon made me leave. Can't I stay and…" Link started.

"If Malon made you go away, it was for a good reason. Malon knows what she's doing. This isn't the first time she had to help a mare give birth to a foal. I think you're just trying to avoid feeding the cuccos," Talon interrupted as he opened the door. Link tried to glance in the barn, but Talon blocked his view.

"Just go, we'll let you know what happened when we are done," Talon said before shutting the barn door. Link stared at the barn door for a moment before he picked up the bag of feed and started away from the barn and inside the house. All the cuccos froze as he entered, tiny black eyes zeroing in on him and the tell-tale feed bag he was carrying with him. Link stared nervously at the cuccos for a moment as they stopped clucking and flapping their wings in anticipation.

Then he reached his hand into the bag and the cuccos started shrieking excitedly. Feathers and straw flew into the air as they began beating their wings and dashed towards him, intent on getting to the food before the others. He quickly flung feed out over their heads, causing the cuccos to attempt to turn around to get at the food. However, their momentum kept them going towards their original destination. Several cuccos slammed into his legs as they skidded across the floor, nearly knocking him off of his feet. A few of the cuccos hurtled past him and hit the wall. The cuccos recovered quickly, diving immediately into the swarm of hungry birds. Link continued throwing the food at the mass of feathers, beaks, and claws until the bag was almost empty. Once he was finished, he fled out into the sunlight. Several of the cuccos that were outside started towards him, attracted by the sounds of other cuccos. Link scattered the rest of the cucco food for the few outside, dumping the empty bag beside the barn before heading towards the horses.

Several of the horses dashed out to greet him as he entered, bumping playfully against him and nibbling gently on his clothes as he passed by. He smiled and pushed away the nibbling horses as he walked towards the other end of the field. One of the more mischievous stallions followed closely behind Link, eyeing his hat before snatching it and galloping away. Link stopped and glared at the gleeful stallion before he continued on.

* * *

Several hours later, Link had finished changing the hay for the horses to eat when he saw someone walking out of the barn. He quickly dashed across the field and reached the other end of the paddock to see that it was Malon.

"Epona gave birth to a strong healthy colt. Where's your hat?" Malon said as she walked past the fence, her clothes drenched in various liquids that Link did not care to think about and a bright smile on her face.

"One of the stallions ran off with it. It is probably it the horse's water trough by now. She's okay, right?" Link asked worriedly.

"She's fine," Malon said. The stallion that had stolen Link's hat finally trotted towards him, Link's drenched hat clenched between his teeth and glancing between Malon and Link amusedly. Malon smiled as the stallion dropped the hat in front of Link. Link sighed as he reached down and picked up the wet hat. He stared at it in annoyance before turning and draping the wet hat on the fence to dry in the warm sunlight.

"I'm changing. You can go see the little one," Malon said. Link smiled and accompanied her back towards the house. Once she vanished into the house, he dashed back to the barn. However, he had barely touched the barn door when he heard the sounds of thundering hoofs. He turned to the entrance and pressed himself against the barn door as several horses raced into the ranch. Link waited until all the horses passed by before stepping forward. Once the dust cleared and Link could fully see the horses, he realized that they were carrying riders. The riders were dressed in worn clothing and bored haughty expressions on their faces.

"Boy, I'm looking for a man named Link. Where is he?" One of the men called, a large balding man that looked more like a rich merchant than a knight.

"That would be me, the one you almost trampled. What is it?" Link replied. The man turned red for a moment before he regained his emotions. A few of the men laughed quietly before silenced by a glare from the first man.

"Your presence has been requested at the Royal Castle and we were sent to fetch you immediately," The man stated.

"What's going on?" Malon asked as she walked out of the house.

"I have to head towards Castletown," Link replied. Malon stared at Link in confusion, glanced at the newly-arrived visitors, and frowned in annoyance. However, she didn't ask Link for more details.

"I see there is no need to ask if you have a horse. Please try to hurry up and get your horse ready," The man stated, glancing back towards the paddock with a faint smirk on his face. The other riders, upon hearing that Link had to prepare a horse, began dismounting from their horses and leading them to a nearby water trough situated near the barn.

"I'll get a horse for you, you need to get the saddle ready," Malon said before walking past the riders and towards the paddock. Link nodded towards the riders before walking into the barn. As he shut the door, he heard Epona bellow a greeting from her stall. Link rushed over to Epona's stall and looked in to see Epona and her baby foal. The colt was laying close to its mother, its damp ears flickering back and forth as it noticed him approach. Epona glanced over her shoulder and nudged the baby horse, as if to make sure Link saw her baby.

"He's wonderful," Link said. Epona's ears flickered in link's direction before she reached down and began nuzzling the baby. Link smiled before walking away

"Here we go, you can take this one," Link turned as he heard Malon's voice and noticed that she had brought the mischevious stallion with her. The stallion glared at Link in annoyance when it noticed the bridle, ears twitching back and forth as it waited to see if Link was going to try and put it on him. Malon laughed and gently reached forward to run her fingers through his mane. The horse shifted closer to Malon, although it continued to stare at Link.

"You want me to ride this little hat-stealer?" Link asked as he walked forward, carrying the saddle and bridle beneath his arm. The stallion, recognizing the nickname, leaned forward once Link was close enough and gently nudged Link's arm before retreating back to Malon.

"He needs a run across the field. He'll be good for you as long as your hat is out of his reach," Malon replied, grinning as she took the saddle and helped Link put it on the stallion's back. The stallion allowed the saddle, but tried biting at the bridle that Link held in his arm.

"Stop that," Link hissed, glaring at the horse as he nipped his elbow in its attempt to snatch the bridle. The horse's ears flattened for a moment before he reached again, managing to grab the bridle this time. With one yank, he pulled the bridle away and tossed it with one strong twist of the neck. The bridle sailed across the barn and landed in one of the cow's stalls. Malon and Link both laughed as the confused cow peered over the stall and mooed at them, the bridle draped over its head.

"He doesn't like having a bridle on," Malon laughed as she walked towards the cow and took the bridle back. She returned and handed the bridle back to Link. The horse raised his head and glared between Malon, Link, and the offending bridle. Link reached out and the horse stepped back, ears flat against his skull.

"Stop that, I am not going to hurt you," Link growled. The horse's ears didn't move, but he grudgingly allowed Link to approach. He glared at Link, waiting to see what would come next.

"If you take this bridle, then you get to go out and run in Hyrule Field," Link said slowly. At the word run, the stallion's ears perked forward and it allowed Link to put the bridle on. Once the bridle was secured, Link led the stallion out into the sunlight.

"Oh, here's your hat. It's still wet though," Malon said as she returned the damp hat. The stallion glanced at him as Link glared at the hat. Link noticed the stallion's glance and quickly stuffed his hat into one of his pockets for safe-keeping. The stallion snorted as he noticed that the hat was stowed away before glaring at the other horses.

"Ready to go?" One of the men asked as they started mounting their horses.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Link replied. The first man nodded and they began trotting towards the exit, their trot slow enough to allow Link to mount and catch up.

"Can you pick up fish while your at Castletown? It's been forever since we had fish for dinner," Talon called from his position near the paddock. Link smiled before he leapt up and got onto the stallion's back. The stallion glanced up at him as Link took the reigns before focusing on the entrance to the ranch and trotting forward to catch up with the other riders. Link could tell the stallion was excited for the anticapted run, its steps were bouncy and it only focused on getting out of the ranch and out onto the field. Malon walked with them to the exit, but stopped before starting down the incline towards the field.

"Be back before sundown!" Malon shouted. Link turned and waved just before the stallion and the other horses reached the bottom of the hill and got past the walls of the ranch. The stallion neighed happily as the horses broke into a delighted gallop across Hyrule Field and raced towards Castletown.


	4. Plans at the Castle

It was early in the evening when they reached Castletown, the faint light of the descending sun made the white castle and several of the city buildings turn a rich orange color. Despite the run across Hyrule Field, the stallion Link was riding on was still excited and eager to gallop some more. The only thing that prevented the horse from ignoring Link and returning to the field was that it was attempting to attract the attention of one of the mares trotting beside him, even though the mare ignored the stallion. A few of the citizens that were still wandering around the reconstructed city square glanced at them curiously before continuing on with their remaining chores and last-minute bargain-hunting. Several of the children wandered close and waved at the group as they passed, ignoring the glare from the head knight and the warnings from the other adults to avoid the horses' hooves. Several of the knights waved back, while one reached down and hoisted a young boy onto his saddle. Link glanced at the knight, concerned for a moment, and quickly noticed the that the boy shared the same giddy eyes and high cheekbones as the knight. The lead knight noticed the child, but only shook his head and muttered about 'adoring fathers' under his breath. With the confirmation that the child was the son of the knight, Link smiled and nodded towards the young boy. The boy smiled shyly before leaning against his father's chest and staring at the approaching castle.

Once the group reached the castle, they dismounted and allowed their horses to be taken away to rest in the castle stables. Link was worried for a moment about the stallion, but the horse followed the man that took the stallion's reign without too much of a fuss. Once the horses were led away, they continued into the castle itself. Unlike the city square, many nobles watched them as they walked into the large entrance hall, both curious about the new arrivals and annoyed that they had disrupted whatever they were doing previously. Once inside, many of the knights turned and vanished down one of the nearby hallways, leaving Link with the head knight, the young boy, and his father. The boy seemed braver now that he was in the castle, coming out of his father's shadow and smiling widely up at Link. The head knight glanced back and frowned when he noticed that the father and son were still there.

"You may go now, Ton. Boy, we go this way. The princess waits for you in the throne room. Remember to be respectful," the knight said as he walked towards the other end of the entrance hall. Ton nodded, took his son by the hand, and led him away. The boy glanced back and waved cheerfully at Link before he followed his father into the servant's quarters. Link smiled and followed the man, ignoring the stares of several of the nobles. He felt foolish for a moment as he realized that his hair was unruly from the gallop to Castletown and his clothes were still soiled from the chores at the ranch. He couldn't help how he appeared, he didn't have time to make himself presentable. The knight glanced back and seemed to notice this, but decided that there was no time for Link to make himself presentable. He pushed open the doors and the two of them walked into the throne room.

Princess Zelda sat on a small throne at the end of the large room. The throne was designed to make her petite form look less vulnerable and appear more powerful, a task it suceeded at. A small merchant stood before her, occupying her attention with his plan for some sort of trade proposal. Impa stood behind the throne, her face cold and emotionless as she watched the few nobles still in the room as if they would suddenly become assassins or traitors and would seek to harm the princess. Once the merchant finished with his plan, Zelda thought about it and gave him her answer. The two continued to debate about it for several minutes, the merchant suddenly unhappy about Zelda's judgement and Zelda trying to maintain a courteous indifference to his argument. Halfway through his argument, Zelda became distracted and noticed Link. Her glance quickly shifted away as the merchant became louder in an effort to make sure she understood what he was talking about. Zelda interrupted the man, her once calm face now stiff with annoyance. The merchant, still angry, acknowledged Zelda's words and walked away. Once the merchant was away from the throne, the head knight and Link approached. The annoyance quickly left the princess's face, her calm composure quickly returning to replace the annoyed expression. The head knight bowed as low as he could, his large body preventing him from lowering his upper body more than a few inches. Link bowed as well, hoping not to look foolish in front of the court and Zelda. He may have been summoned by Zelda, but he still had to make sure not to look like a fool.

"Your highness, we have brought you the boy, Link," the knight stated as he straightened from his bow, glaring at Link for a quick second because Link bowed lower than he had. A faint smile came to Zelda's face as she noticed the knight's glare, but quickly managed to hide it before the knight turned back around to face her.

"Thank you for bringing him so quickly. You may return to your post, knight," Zelda said, nodding her head to the knight. The lead knight bowed again as far as his belly could allow him before turning and walking back to the entrance hall, a smug expression on his face.

"Please, follow me to someplace where we can talk without being overheard or disrupted," Zelda said quietly, her voice low enough that only he and Impa could hear. She stood up and walked down from the pedestal, followed closly by Impa. Several of the women muttered as Link followed them out, but the three ignored the womens' gossip as they walked out of the throne room and into one of the main hallways.

* * *

Zelda and Impa led Link down a long quiet hallway, the stone walls decorated with tapestries and lit torches and the floors covered in thick elegant rugs. The two women continued walking down the corridor until they reached a small wooden door. Impa opened the door for Zelda and Link, waiting until he was clear before shutting the door and locking it. They were in a small chamber with a large window that overlooked the garden. Two chairs sat near the window, a long-forgotten tray of tea left sitting on a small table beside the chairs. Impa checked the tea and frowned as she moved it to the other side of the room, obviously thinking about finding and scolding the servant who had forgotten about the tray.

"Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure if you could make it before nightfall," Zelda said as she sat down in one of the chairs, gesturing for Link to take the other seat. Link stared at her as he sat down, unsettled by her pale face and the faint wrinkles of worry etched above her eyebrows. The last time he had seen her so exhausted was when she was restored to her throne in Kakariko Village, drained from her task at eliminating the remnants of the dark magic that Ganondorf used during his seven-year reign. Even after the dark magic was banished, the restoration of the castle and city had taken several years. Link spent two of those years rooting out and destroying the Redeads and other monsters that lurked in the remains of the old city, trying to clear out the danger before the carpenters and the craftsmen could work.

"It was not a problem, the ranch is not far from here. What is the problem, princess?" Link asked. Several of the wrinkles on her forehead vanished as she smiled, although the smile did not last for long. She looked up at Impa and the Sheikah woman took a small object from her belt and gave it to Zelda. The princess stared at the object and sighed, as if having second thoughts about what she was about to say.

"Do you know what this is?" Zelda asked as she handed the object to him. He glanced down at him and nearly laughed. However, he managed to quell the laughter before it could escape.

"It is an ocarina, princess," Link replied. A faint thin smile came to her face, an expression that Link took for a no. He lifted up the small musical instrument and took another look at it. The ocarina was made from some sort of coral. He'd seen coral before, but never pink coral. The coral he usually saw in the markets were white from drying in the sun and was only sold in small quantities in the form of expensive jewelry. He noticed the emblem of the Water Temple on the instrument, but thought little of it. He already knew it had been made by the zoras, even without the emblem.

"I've never seen an ocarina made of coral. Is this ocarina of any importance?" Link asked.

"It is the Ocarina of Water. Like the Ocarina of Time, it is passed down from Water Sage to Water Sage. It is used to pass on the duties and lessons for the next sage that possessed the ocarina. This once belonged to Princess Ruto of the zoras," Zelda replied quietly.

"Ruto is here? Are you sure it's okay for me to be here if she is here as well?" Link asked nervously, remembering the zora's infatuation with him. It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences.

"She is not here. Princess Ruto was attacked two nights ago and was killed. Her people were devastated by the attack," Zelda replied. She reached forward and took back the Ocarina of Water, staring at the ocarina as if it was the source of all of her problems.

"She is dead? I, well, I don't know what to say. Do they know who attacked her?" Link asked, feeling slightly foolish for thinking badly of the dead zora princess. Even though he did not like her, he was still sad to hear about her death.

"A demon of some sort. He escaped before the zora guards could catch him. I am not sure, I tried looking into her memories to see and found that they were warped from terror," Zelda replied.

"A demon in Hyrule? Then I will take the Master Sword and destroy this demon, before it can cause any more trouble," Link said, thinking about how the zoras must be feeling with the loss of their princess.

"Why state something you know can not happen?" Impa suddenly growled, glaring down at Link in annoyance. Link stared at her in confusion before realizing what she was talking about. If they removed the Master Sword from its resting place in the Temple of Time, the seal might break and the gerudo thief could escape from his captivity. As soon as he remembered about Ganondorf's seal, he suddenly realized the importance of Ruto's death. She had been a sage and had helped seal the thief in the dark realm.

"What will Ruto's death do to the seal? Will it be weakened?" Link asked.

"It may be weakened, but it may also still be as powerful as before. I do not know for certain," Zelda replied.

"Without the Master Sword, we may have to resort to Light Arrows..." Link muttered, unsure of a good method of killing demons with the Master Sword. He had used it many times before against poes, redeads, and other monstrous creatures, it would seem odd not using it to fight a demon.

"There may be another sword that you could use against the demon," Zelda interrupted. Link's thoughts froze as he focused on Zelda, unsure if he heard her correctly. He had never heard of another sword existing before, he had only known about the Master Sword.

"According to several old scrolls her in the castle, a sword had been hidden long ago, in an old abandoned shrine deep in the woods. It had been used to defend Hyrule from demons. I do not know for certain if the texts mean Lost Woods or another forest that had been lost over the many centuries, but perhaps the forest sage may know," Zelda replied.

"Where did these scrolls come from? The castle had been destroyed, wouldn't the knowledge have been lost as well?" Link asked. He didn't know much about scrolls and such, he rarely read anything besides the occasional sign and had never bothered to find scrolls or books to read.

"Ganondorf had collected many scrolls about Hyrule's past and kept them in his fortress. He had studied Hyrule's past as part of his childhood lessons and it had fascinated him. Nabooru gave them to us as a gift and an apology for what he had done," Zelda replied. Link nodded and thought about the idea of using another sword. He hadn't picked up a sword since he left the Master Sword in the vault beneath the Temple of Time, but the idea of using a bow against a demon did not sit well with him. He preferred a straight-forward fight. Plus, the idea of visiting his old friend Saria made him feel slightly better about the situation.

"What shall we do, princess?" Link asked.

"We shall go to the Lost Woods and ask the sage of the forest for help. If we cannot find the sword in the forest, then we must return to study the scrolls and see where the forest might have been previously," Zelda replied, frowning slightly at the idea that the forest might not exist anymore.

"When will we leave?" Link asked, wondering if the stallion was still eager about running some more or had decided to fall asleep in the royal stables. Knowing the stallion, it would have gotten into some sort of trouble by now.

"We shall leave tonight, to avoid any attention from the townsfolk. If we leave within the next few hours, we could reach the forest by dawn," Zelda replied as she stood up. Link stared at her, wondering if she could stay awake during the trek to the forest, and decided it would be unwise to ask Zelda about it.

"Then I must go to the stables and ready my horse," Link said, waiting for Zelda to stand up before he got to his feet.

"Then, we shall meet at the stables," Zelda replied before walking out of the room. Impa followed her out, nodding once to Link as her way of a good-bye. Link watched the two women leave, waited for a moment, and then realized that he had no idea where he was.


	5. Into the Forest

"Princess, perhaps we should wait until morning to leave for the forest," Impa stated as the two of them entered Zelda's private chambers. Zelda quickly walked towards the large dresser that dominated the western wall and began taking off the jewelry.

"Princess…" Impa asked quietly

"Impa, please help me remove this dress. This dress is too bulky for travel. We should hurry, no doubt Link is already waiting for us at the stables," Zelda said as she finally removed the last of the jewelry, placed it back into a small hand-carved box, and tried to remove the corset. Impa quickly walked over and took off the corset, helping the princess out of the dress as quickly as she could.

"Princess, did you hear me?" Impa asked.

"Yes, I did hear your words. Your advice is sound, but we can not heed it. We can not wait till morning to depart. If we waited, then we will waste a day traveling to the forest and asking for assistance,"

"You also have not been sleeping well for the past few days. You can not possibly be ready for this sort of journey, not in your condition," Impa replied impatiently. Zelda glared at Impa and was about to answer the older woman's statement when someone knocked on the door. Impa frowned before heading towards the door. She opened the door wide enough to look out of, her frown turning into a scowl as she noticed who it was.

"Speak, why do you dare to disturb the princess at this hour?" Impa growled.

"I have a message. I didn't mean to interrupt anything. It's urgent, though, and from the governor of Kakariko Village," a man's voice stammered.

"I will take this and give it to the princess. Return to your post, soldier," Impa replied, reaching through the door and taking the message from the frightened soldier before he could say respond. She shut the door as the man tried to stammer something.

"I wonder what can be so urgent that it would be delivered at this hour?" Zelda asked as she reached out for the letter. Impa handed the paper over to Zelda and walked towards the dresser, opening it to search for a traveling dress for Zelda. Zelda ignored Impa as she slit open the letter and started reading.

* * *

It took Link a while to find the stables, much longer than expected. He spent several minutes wandering the long halls of the castle, trying to find a soldier who could lead him to the stables. All of the nobles that passed by continued on their way without stopping, the ladies laughing quietly behind thin gloved hands and the gentlemen glaring at him as if he was a pest that needed to be squashed. After wandering the halls in confusion, he managed to find a guard and get him to bring him to the stables. The soldier did not appreciate having to escort Link but did it grudgingly, muttering under his breath every once in a while as they continued on through the castle and out into the open air. Upon reaching the royal stables, Link thanked the still-grumbling soldier and went inside to prepare the stallion. The stallion, who had been staring at a dappled mare in the nearby stall, bellowed out a greeting that was loud enough to startle the man mucking the stalls.

"You like causing trouble, don't you?" Link hissed as he entered the stallion's stall. The stallion's ears flicked back and forth as it stared at Link questioningly.

"I guess I should take that as a yes. Ready for another run?" Link asked the stallion quietly. The stallion, in response, turned its head and tried to grab Link's hat. Spotting the attempt at hat-stealing, he pushed the horse's head away before it got close. The stallion followed him to the other end of the stall as Link went to fetch the saddle, stopping when Link picked up the saddle and revealed the bridle hiding underneath. As Link put the protective blanket on the stallion's back and prepared to put the saddle on top of the blanket, the horse decided it wanted to walk again. The saddle nearly slipped from Link's fingers from the horse's sudden move, but Link managed to catch it before it landed on the ground.

"Stay still, I do not want to fall off while we are running because you decided to be impatient now," Link growled as he put the saddle on the horse's back. The horse obliged, head down and motionless as it waited for Link to finish adjusting and checking the saddle. Once he finished with that, he turned to grab the bridle. He froze as he noticed that the stallion was chewing on the bridles, grinding the saliva-covered between its flat ivory teeth.

"Stop that, I need that!" Link growled in annoyance. The stallion looked back at him, stared, and then turned back and began chewing on the bridles yet again. Link reached over and took back the bridle, noticing that the stallion had succeeded at its goal. The saliva-covered bridle was shredded, now only a mess of thin leather strips and small brass buckles.

"Malon will be mad at you, she liked this bridle," Link said, waving the mess at the horse. The stallion ignored him. Link shook his head as he walked out of the stallion's stall and headed towards the man mucking the stalls. The man didn't even notice Link until he reached the stall.

"Good evening, sir. What can I do for you, sir?" the man asked as he set down the pitchfork.

"I need a bridle, can I buy one here?" Link asked. The man looked at Link, glanced down at the ruined bridle, and smiled.

"No need to buy one, just take this bridle. The nobles won't notice a missing bridle, they have plenty already," the man said, taking a bridle off of the rack and handing it to Link. The stallion was not pleased to see Link approach with a new bridle. It turned and stuck its head deep into the empty trough, as if that would keep Link from putting the bridle on the stallion. After a short struggle, the bridle and the reigns were finally put on the stallion. The stallion was very unhappy as Link led it out of the stall, refusing to look at Link as if it could forget about him.

"I was expecting you to be waiting for us to arrive. Was there a problem?" Link started as he heard Zelda's voice. He turned and noticed the princess standing near the stable's entrance. Zelda was garbed in a dark-green riding dress with a silver cloak wrapped around her shoulders, the emblem of the royal house of Hyrule embroidered on the front of the thick dress. Impa stood next to two tall eager stallions. Impa handed the reigns to Zelda and waited until Zelda mounted her stallion before doing so herself.

"I was lost inside the castle, it took a while to find the stables," Link admitted, hoping Zelda had not seen what the stallion had done to its bridle. Zelda smiled.

"I understand. The soldiers are ready to depart. Let us go, then," Zelda said.

* * *

It took most of the night to travel across the large plain to reach the forest. Link was tired, he had spent the day working and could feel the fatigue setting in. However, Zelda's gaunt face quickly reminded him that he was not the only one needing sleep. Zelda looked as if she was about to fall of her horse, her face was pale and she held on to the reigns as if it was the only thing keeping her from falling asleep in the saddle. The only ones who did not appear tired were Impa and the guards who came with them. By the time they reached the forest, the sun had peeked around Death Mountain and began its climb up the sky.

"Soldiers, wait here until we return. Do not enter the forest," Zelda said as they dismounted, glaring at the soldiers to make sure none of them would disregard her order once she was inside the forest. The soldiers chorused back their agreement and quickly began setting up camp. Zelda nodded to Link, waiting for Link to lead them into the forest. Link led them through the forest entrance and across the bridge, noticing one of the kokiri children standing at the other end. The kokiri quickly fled to alert the other kokiri, who come out to meet them once they stepped through the entrance and entered the village. The crowd of kokiri glared at them, both curious and suspicious of their arrival. A small form pushed his way up front, his trademark scowl etched onto his young face. Mido glared at them, waiting for them to approach the group instead of walking out with the other kokiri to meet them. He recognized Link for a moment, but the suspicious expression returned as he noticed Zelda and Impa.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Mido asked, crossing his thin arms across his chest as he glared at Zelda.

"Mido, don't be rude. Welcome to the Kokiri Village, Princess Zelda," Link smiled as he recognized the new voice as his old friend, Saria. Saria pushed her way through the crowd and stood in front of Mido, her fairy following after her. Saria had not changed over the years, her short green hair and her warm smile still the same as it had been when Link first met Navi and started his adventure. She bowed to Zelda, to the kokiri's astonishment. A few of the kokiri children bowed as well, although they had no idea why they were doing so.

"Saria, we need to talk to you. Is there someplace quiet to talk?" Zelda said as Saria straightened from her bow. A few of the children grumbled under their breath and glared at Zelda, more suspicious than before of the princess. A stern glance over the crowd from Impa quieted their grumblings.

"Okay. Please, follow me. Mido, come with us," Saria replied. The two children led the three down a well-beaten path that ran along a small creek until they reached Saria's house. A few of the kokiri children followed them, but most of them wandered off to find something better to do.

"Please, come into my house. Mido, stay out here and make sure no one listens to us. If I find out you listened in on us, I'll tell the Deku Tree Sproud about it and you'll be in big trouble," Saria warned as she turned to face Mido. Mido turned red and scowled at the warning, but puffed out his chest and stood outside the door as if he was a bodyguard. Saria then led them into her one-room house, pulling out four small chairs for her visitors to sit in.

"Welcome back, Link. I haven't seen you in a while. How long has it been since your last visit?" Saria asked, smiling cheerfully at Link as they sat down. The small chairs were uncomfortable, but all three adults hit their discomfort from their host.

"Four years, maybe longer. I am sorry I haven't visited you," Link replied, feeling bad about not visiting Saria. He had meant to visit many times, but he had been too busy at the ranch to do more than think about leaving the ranch and visiting his old home.

"It's okay, Link. I understand. You've got responsibilities with the rest of the tall people. At least you came now," Saria replied, reaching out to grab Link's hand and squeeze it.

"Saria, do you know anything about an ancient temple?"

"Temple, of course I know about that. The Forest Temple is in the Sacred Meadow. Link's been there before, he could have told you that,"

"I do not mean the Forest Temple. The temple I am talking about is more likely a ruin now, it had been abandoned centuries ago and houses an ancient sword,"

"A sword? Eh, I don't think I know what you are talking about," Saria replied, shaking her head in confusion as she stared at Zelda.

"Well, I do remember hearing from the skull-children about some sort of ruin. It's really deep in Lost Woods, though. I don't know if they still remember where it was, they are rather forgetfull" Saria replied, frowning as she tried to think about where a ruin could be.

"There may be a chance that one of the earlier sages might have known where the ruin was and how to reach it. Can you please search the memories of the Ocarina of Forest?" Zelda asked.

"Okay, why not. But, why is it important? Is the sword special, like that one Link used to stop that dark lord?" Saria asked.

"Something killed Princess Ruto and we think it is a creature from the Dark Realm," Zelda snapped, annoyed with Saria. Saria stared at her, appalled at what Zelda had just said.

"What, but I liked Princess Ruto. She was nice to me in the Sacred Realm. What do you mean, she was killed?" Saria said. She looked down and a sob escaped her throat as tears began dripping down her cheeks. Zelda's annoyance vanished instantly as she regretted what she had said.

"I'm sorry that I said it like that, Saria, but it is important we find the sword. There are also reports that the creature was spotted near Kakariko Village and we want to get there before it vanishes," Zelda said. Saria nodded and wiped away the tears on her face before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a dark-green ocarina.

"I understand,"

"Do you know what you are supposed to do?" Impa asked.

"Of course. The one sage with the big belly explained it to me what is was for," Saria replied, smiling up at Impa. Link smiled at the nickname she gave Rauru, the ancient sage that remained in the Sacred Realm.

"It may be a while. Why don't you guys sleep until I figure out where it is? You look tired," Saria replied sheepishly.

"Where shall we sleep?" Zelda asked, looking around Saria's small house and realizing that the one-room house was too small for the three of them to sleep in.

"You can sleep at Link's house, of course," Saria replied, smiling at Zelda before returning her focus to the ocarina in her hands. Link sighed, stood up, and led Zelda and Impa out. Mido glared at them as they walked by, but continued standing guard outside of Saria's house. Link led the two down the path towards his old house, a tall abandoned tree house. He smiled as he noticed several of his old carvings in the tree trunk, childish drawings that he had once been proud of.

"This was your house?" Zelda asked in amusement.

"If you wish, I will stay and sleep in Saria's house and you two can sleep here," Link said.

"That would be wise," Impa growled before she ushered Zelda towards the ladder that led up to the tree house. Link smiled before he started walking back to Saria's house, prepared for the nap.

Link managed to sleep for three hours before Saria woke him up. She had already gone and brought back Zelda and Impa, waiting to wake Link last. Once he was fully awake, the three of them sat back down at Saria's table, where she managed to produce a meal for the three.

"I think I know the way to the ruin. There was a lady who had been to the place before, long long ago. I don't get why a tall-lady would be a sage," Saria said as they finished eating.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Link asked. He knew about the dangers of the Lost Woods, children would become skull-children and adults would become stalfos if they became lost.

"Yep! I remember some of the places she went to. Are you finished? Okay, then follow me!" Saria called, leaping up from her chair and racing out of the house.

* * *

The trek through the Lost Woods was difficult, especially for Zelda. Link was accustomed to the Lost Woods, even though it had been years since he last visited the forest. It had been a second home for him, back when he was still a child and played with Saria on the well-worn and safe trails of the woods. However, Zelda had not prepared for the trek when they went off the trail and started venturing deeper into the heart of the forest. Her cloak had to be removed when it tore on a branch, but her skirts were often snagged on the low branches and fallen sticks. The farther they ventured in, the more sure Saria was that she was heading in the right direction. A Skull-kid appeared once, following behind them and hissing threats under its breath at the adults. However, Saria quickly shooed the skull-child away before it got any ideas and began throwing things at the three adults.

"How much farther until we reach the ruined temple?" Impa asked, glancing between Saria's back and the struggling Zelda in annoyance.

"We don't have…wait! This is the place," Saria said as she pushed past a large bush and stopped in her tracks. The other three walked to her and stopped, astonished at the sight. The ruin lay before them, old columns and broken statues littered the mossy forest floor and the remnants of the temple walls barely visible beneath a layer of vines. The stone floor was still visible, although it was hard to see beneath the tree branches that had fallen over the many years and the moss growing on the stones.

"Is that the sword?" Saria asked, pointing towards the back of the ruins. Link and Zelda both looked to where Saria was pointing and saw the sword. The sword was covered in thin emerald vines, as if it was trying to hide the sword from the world.

"How long has this sword existed here, forgotten?" Zelda whispered in shock. Link ignored the question as he approached the sword, even though he himself was wondering the same thing, and started peeling the vines away. The vines resisted for a moment, but eventually relinquished their hold on the sword. Once the vines had been removed, the sword finally was revealed. Like the Master Sword, it was trapped upright in a pedestal. Link stared at it as the memory of the first time he pulled out the Master Sword came back to him.

"It'll need polishing. A lot of polishing," Link stated as he glared at the thick layer of grime and dirt that covered the sword.

"I hope none of the magic has decayed over the years," Zelda muttered under her breath as she watched Link grab the sword's hilt. He waited for a moment and then pulled on the sword.


	6. A Hateful Meeting

The sword came free from the pedestal easily, as if it had only been placed in the pedestal the day before. It was like he was pulling out the sacred Master Sword again. He could feel the rush of power from the sword, filling the void that had been in his heart since he last touched the Master Sword. Link closed his eyes, suddenly reliving the first time he drew the Master Sword out, when he was just a child and the sword was almost as tall as he was. It was then that he noticed another presence in the clearing. He could feel it hovering right where the sword had been, almost as if it was a poe or spirit. The presence was curious, malicious, and angry. The presence swept toward him and surrounded him for a moment, wrapping him in its anger, before vanishing.

"Link!" Link opened his eyes when he heard Saria's yelp and noticed that the others were staring at something behind him. Link turned to around to see what they were looking at. The new arrival was a young man with long lilac hair. His purple robes hung loose from his thin body, as if the man hadn't eaten for several days. He ignored them entirely as he looked around at his surroundings, noticing the destroyed temple and the forest's attempts to take back the forest. A thin layer of black fog covered his body, slowly shifting around the man's body as he took in his surroundings.

"Who are you," Zelda called out. The fog vanished instantly when Zelda spoke, as if it was frightened by her voice. The man turned and glared at Zelda, his dark red eyes narrowing angrily as he scowled.

"Who am I? Insolent woman, all know who I am. I am the most powerful sorcerer in the land, Vaati! This world will bleed for my entombment!" the sorcerer roared, raising his hands above him as if to cast a spell. Link felt a sudden surge in energy and realized that he was in fact going to cast a spell. Impa stood in front of Zelda, her face hardened with fury. The sorcerer shouted something and grinned as the spell began to form beneath his palm. Link lunged at him, swinging the sword high in preparation to sever the sorcerer's head from his shoulders. The sorcerer noticed and dodged, his grin widening as his spell finished forming. His grin then vanished as the spell suddenly vanished, no longer available to protect himself from Link and the furious sheikah woman. The sorcerer howled as Impa crashed into him, her leather boots kicking his legs out from beneath him. She roared angrily as she pulled back the sorcerer's arms, . The sorcerer shrieked as his arm was wrenched away from his shoulder and out of its socket, allowing Impa to pull back the wounded arm even farther. Within seconds, the sorcerer was trapped under the painful grip of the enraged sheikah.

"Why did you do that?" Saria squeaked, staring at the struggling sorcerer in shock.

"He was a danger and had to be subdued as quickly as possible," Impa replied sharply, glancing up to glare at Saria before refocusing on the sorcerer. Saria frowned and looked prepared to ask another question. However, she kept herself from speaking.

"I've heard of a sorcerer before, but never of one being here in Hyrule. Where did you come from?" Zelda asked.

"It's been too long since I've been free, how could I not recognize that power earlier? Hello, princess, what's a pretty bitch like you doing…" the sorcerer taunted. Impa growled and yanked the sorcerer's arm back again. The sorcerer howled various obscenities as his arm began tearing once again.

"Say anything else against the princess and you will pay for it with your arm. Do you understand?" Impa hissed. The sorcerer mumbled something into the dirt, which Impa took as a yes.

"Let go of him, he cannot do anything," Impa looked up and stared at Zelda, both astonished and annoyed with what the princess had said.

"Impa, let go," Zelda said again, annoyed that she had not listened to her the first time. Impa growled but reluctantly let go of the sorcerer. She stood up and returned to Zelda's side, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed dangerously. The sorcerer waited a moment before he slowly managed to get himself up to a sitting position, wincing as he tested his dislocated shoulder to see how much damage the sheikah had done.

"You have no power, not anymore. The centuries that you were trapped in the sword have stolen your magic from you," Zelda stated.

"I still have my power, woman. I just can not use it properly," the sorcerer hissed. Impa scowled and stepped forward to kick the sorcerer in the chest. The sorcerer yelped in pain as the blow knocked him onto his dislocated shoulder.

"Address her by her title, sorcerer," Impa yelled.

"What makes you think you could stop me? You are just the bodyguard to a defenseless princess," the sorcerer challenged.

"Link, kill this sorcerer and let us be on our way. We have what we need now," Impa snarled. Vaati stared at Link and frowned. However, he did not move from his spot as Link approached.

"Wait, Link," Saria called out. Link stopped and glanced back at her, confused. The girl timidly stepped forward until she was in front of the sorcerer.

"You said your name was Vaati, correct?" Saria asked as she knelt in front of the sorcerer.

"Go away, child. I do not need your pity. Let them kill me and return me to the Dark Realm. No matter what they do, I will regain my powers and come back to kill all that stand in my path," Vaati replied instead as he avoided looking at Saria.

"I know you from what the other sages told me. You were bad then; but you were also strong as well. Link, why can't you force him to help you?" Saria asked, standing up and glancing back at Link.

"What?" Link and Impa spoke at the same time, unable to comprehend what Saria had said. Vaati's face turned a dark maroon with rage.

"I'll die before allowing such magic to bind myself to him, a darkness-damned descendant of that bastard," Vaati howled, struggling to his feet. He swung his hand out and struck Saria. She yelped and staggered away from Vaati. Link growled and forgot about the sword as he knocked Vaati down with a single punch. The blow did not knock the sorcerer down like Impa's kick had, but it still struck the sorcerer hard. The sorcerer glared at Link as blood dripped down from his lip.

"Then it is decided, he is coming with us," Zelda stated calmly.

* * *

The trek back to the village was longer than before. Saria led them through the forest and Impa took their rear of the group, making sure Vaati did not find a way to escape. The sorcerer followed them angrily, alternating between glaring at the back of Saria's head to making sure his shoulder and arm were replaced correctly. Impa had put Vaati's shoulder back into its socket, despite his protests against her being anywhere near him and how he could fix it himself.

"Princess, is this really such a good idea?" Link asked quietly, keeping his voice low so that the sorcerer behind them could not hear him speaking.

"We can make use of him somehow. I know what Saria is talking about, it is relatively easy to perform. All we have to do is..." Zelda started.

"I am not sure if you know this, but I can hear you from back here," Vaati called out angrily, interrupting Zelda. Link looked back in time to see Impa strike Vaati, hitting him hard enough to knock him to his knees. She pulled him back up by his long lilac hair and kept him moving, smiling to herself as she did this.

"We are just outside of the village. Good luck with finding Ruto's killer, I hope that..." Saria started to say.

"Hey, Saria!" A new voice shouted, interrupting Saria. Saria stopped and turned towards the noise, confused. Mido came rushing up the hill, a wide excited grin stretched across his freckled face.

"Saria, she's here! She finally came back home!" Mido shouted, grabbing Saria's hands as he started dancing giddily. Saria yanked her arms back and stared at Mido in shock.

"Who's back? Who was missing before?" Saria asked.

"Fado, of course. Fado came back to the village," Mido replied, his excited grin faltering slightly.

"Mido, she's been gone since the monsters came and took over. She has been in the Lost Woods ever since then. She's been in there for too long. Don't you remember?" Saria answered. The smile slipped off of Mido's face as he thought about it. He frowned and stared at the ground, blushing slightly as he realized that Saria was correct. However, the smile eventually came back as he looked up.

"But, it is her. I promise on my kokiri sword, it is Fado," Mido said, patting the small sword on his waist.

"Let's go down and see her," Saria said. Mido nodded and ran off, following the path to the village.

"Please, stay here until I come back. Fado's been gone for a while, she may have started changing into a skull-kid," Saria said before she started walked down the hill towards the village.

* * *

"Fado, what are you doing?" Saria asked as she managed to squeeze through the crowd and reached the center. The blonde kokiri stared at her and smiled, a soft shy smile that Fado had never used before. Fado's fairy was missing, leaving her alone in the sea of kokiri and guardian fairies. Her pretty green dress was torn and patched in several places, repaired with both leaves and cloth. Fado's eyes were no longer blue as they had been before she had fled. They had turned a dark purple, a sign that she had begun the change. She was going to become a skull-kid.

"I came back because I was lonely. It's boring in the woods sometimes. Is something wrong with being lonely?" Fado laughed, revealing that she had lost one of her lower teeth. It was not surprising to Saria, often children would lose teeth if they found

"We all thought you became a skull-kid. You never came back after the monsters left," Mido stammered.

"That's so silly. Just because I was living in the Lost Woods doesn't mean I became one of the skull-kids. Mido, why are you acting so silly today?" Fado asked. Her smile slipped away from her face and was replaced with a frown. Mido blushed and glanced towards the other kokiri's hoping to find support with them. They all stared at Fado in confusion and curiosity, ignoring Mido's glance entirely.

"Your eyes are already changing colors. You are turning into a skull-kid," Saria stated. Fado glared at her before looking back at Mido.

"But, Mido, I thought we were friends. Do I really have to go? Can't I have a hug first?" Fado asked. Mido stiffened and stared at his feet for a moment. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and decided. Mido stepped forward and allowed Fado to envelop him in a warm tight hug.

"Sorry about this, big brother," Fado said as she let go of Mido. Mido opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when she took Mido's kokiri sword and stabbed him with it. The small sword struck Mido in the stomach before he could react. Mido sputtered in shock as Fado pulled it back out. He collapsed on the ground, clutching the wound desperately as if he could stop the bleeding.

"Mido!" Saria shrieked. She took a step towards Mido and froze, tears slipping down her face as she realized what had happened.

"Fado, why?" Saria asked, brushing away the tears as she glared at Fado. The girl smiled as she threw the kokiri sword toward the ground, the blade sinking into the ground up to the hilt.

"Cause a tall-man in the forest gave me a friend in exchange for one thing. Give me the Ocarina of Forest so that I can give it to him," Fado said, holding out the blood-stained hand expectantly.

"How do you know about that? Who is your new friend?" Saria asked, trying hard not to look at the ground and her dying friend.

"Why, he's right in here," Fado said cheerfully as pressed her palm against her chest. A smile stretched across her face as her skin cracked like dry mud. Parts of her skin fell away and were replaced with mottled green scales. As the layer of flesh fell, her legs grew until she was nearly twice her height.

"Fado?" one of the kokiri children stammered, still unable to comprehend what was happening to her. Fado turned, smiled, and spat violently at the kokiri's feet. The kokiri shrieked as teeth flew out of Fado's mouth, covered in saliva and blood. Fado snickered and smiled, showing that a row of sharp teeth were erupting from her bloody gums. This snapped all the kokiri children out of their shock and they immediately began panicking. They screamed and ran, running in an attempt to escape the creature that used to be their friend Fado.

"Run to the great Deku Tree Sprout, hurry!" Saria yelled, grabbing Kokiri and pushing them in the right direction. Her voice, though loud and clear, were unheeded by the panicking kokiri..

"Are we playing a game? How amusing," the creature hissed. Despite all the changes, it still used Fado's voice to speak. It lunged forward and snatched several of the children, raising them high above the ground. It laughed as they tried breaking free, their little arms and legs lashing out even though they could not reach the creature's body. It stared at them for a moment before tossing them aside. Several of them landed safely on the grass. However, two struck a fence and had the breaths knocked out of them. It turned away from the panicked children and focused on Saria.

"Sage of the forest, it would be wise if you didn't fight against me. You can not win this fight. Give me the Ocarina of Forest now. The master needs it," the creature hissed, reaching out with its stubby clawed fingers. Saria flinched, shaking her head desperatly as she tried to think of a way to escape the creature. It hissed its annoyance and lunged at her. The creature was intercepted before it could reach her, knocked away and off of its feet. It quickly stood up and touched a faint line of blood that had formed on its chest. Link stood between the creature and Saria, his new sword already lightly stained with its blood.

"You will not touch her," Link hissed.

"A little hero, how adorable. Let's play, hero, I've waited for something to dine on for such a long time," it laughed.

"Saria, get out of here now," Link hissed. Saria quickly realized what he was doing and ran, racing towards the other frightened kokiri and trying to make them go to the Great Deku Sprout. The creature ignored the girl's escape as it crouched low to the ground and waited for Link to make the first move. Link didn't disappoint the creature, he lunged forward and swung the new sword. The creature ducked beneath the swinging blade and reached forward with its stubby fingers, trying to jab them into Link's stomach. Link jumped back and sliced down, splitting the creature's arm in half. It howled and quickly withdrew its wounded arm, breathing angrily out of its mouth as it prepared to attack Link.

"I can't remember the last time I saw a possessed being. What a pathetic creature, unable to live without the use of another creature to steal the life from," Link would have cursed if he wasn't focused on making sure the creature did not attack, it was the sorcerer. The creature turned and stared at Vaati, purple eyes both curious and angry. It hissed and stalked towards the sorcerer. Vaati stared up at the creature, smiling darkly as the creature approached.

"The scent is friend, but its friends are foes. You'll die with the rest," it hissed, laughing quietly at the sorcerer.

"I wonder if you are still weak to fire," Vaati said. The creature hissed and swiped at Vaati. Link realized that Vaati had said what the creature's weakness was and quickly reached into his bag. He did not have his fire arrows, or his bow for that matter, but he did have something to use. He pulled out a small crystal, made sure it was the right one, and ran towards the distracted creature. The creature heard Link's approach and spun around, laughing at the idea of being surprised. Its eyes widened with fear as Link activated the spell Din's Fire, creating a barrier of fire around Link. It backed away in an attempt to escape, but could not get out of range before the spell finished charging. It roared in pain as fire licked at its scales. The scales quickly burst into bright green flames, burning through the scales as if it were dry leaves. The creature whimpered as it succumbed to death, collapsing under its own weight before it stopped screaming. When the flames went out, all that was left was a charred child's body.

"I've seen more impressive magic. Even my weak spells are better than that," the sorcerer huffed, frowning as he crossed his arms and glared at the crystal in Link's hands. Link ignored him and looked around for Saria. He found her kneeling next to Mido, wiping away tears as she sat next to him.

"Saria," Link said as he knelt next to her. He really did not know what to say to her. She had been friends with Mido for all her life.

"I'm okay. The other kokiri are safe with the Great Deku Sprout, so everything is okay," Saria said quietly. After a few moments, she stood up and turned to Link.

"The three of you should leave now. The other kokiri and I must attend to Mido and Fado," Saria said, blushing once she realized that her chin was trembling. Link nodded and turned to see Zelda and Impa walking towards them. He had left them behind when he had raced out to help Saria. Now that the creature was dead, it was safe enough for Impa to let Zelda out into the sun.

"Oh, did you notice? He could help you figure out what the weakness of the enemies are," Saria said. Vaati immediately began cursing the younger girl as he realized that he had just given them an excuse to force him into servitude.


	7. An Unwilling Ally

The soldiers were surprised to see someone new accompany the princess and the other two out of the forest. While a few of the soldiers were in the tents resting from the previous night's ride, many of the soldiers had started campfires in order to start preparations for lunch. The soldiers stopped their work and stared at them as they walked into the encampment, astonished by Vaati's appearance and the state of Zelda's tattered clothing. Link had forgotten that Zelda had ripped her clothes during the treks through the Lost Woods, only noticing now that the hems on the edges of the skirts had come undone, mud stained the dress up to Zelda's knees, and several long scratches were ripped into the dress. The damage was not unrepairable, but the seamstress at the castle would not be very happy to see what had happened to the dress.

"Welcome back, your highness. We have just started preparing for the afternoon meals, if you would like something to eat," the leading knight said as he walked out to meet them. Link could swear he saw glee momentarily flashed across the sorcerer's face, although it vanished before Link could be certain that Vaati was happy about something.

"No thank you, knight. Our business here in the forest has ended. Tell your soldiers to break camp and prepare to return to the castle," Zelda stated. This time, Link was sure he saw the sorcerer scowling furiously and glaring at Zelda. However, his glare quickly vanished when he noticed Link staring at him. Instead, the sorcerer gave him an annoyed glance and started staring back at the soldiers that were staring at him. The soldiers staring at the sorcerer pretended that they were not staring when they noticed that the sorcerer had seen them, which seemed to annoy the sorcerer even more. The knight nodded and turned to tell the other soldiers the plan. In an instant, all the soldiers were up and working at disassembling the camp.

"Is there something you need to tell me, knight?" Zelda asked as she noticed the knight returning.

"Your highness, who is the boy in the purple robes? Is he one of the children of the forest?" the knight asked, glancing at Vaati curiously. The sorcerer turned red with rage at being called a child, although all he could do was curse under his breath due to Impa glaring at him.

"He is not one of the children. Do not worry about him, knight. He is of no concern to you," Zelda replied, ignoring Vaati's reaction to being called child to the best of her abilities. However, despite her efforts, a small smile still managed to come out and appear on the corners of her mouth.

"My apologies for asking, your highness. But, how is he to travel back to the castle with us? Is he to share one of our horses?" the soldier replied. Zelda stared at him in confusion before glancing towards the herd of horses near the edge of the camp.

"Do we not have extra horses that he could use?" Zelda asked.

"We were not expecting anyone else to come, so we did not bring another horse. Again, I apologize," the knight replied, looking sheepish as he looked in the direction of the horse herd.

"It is not your fault, knight. We did not plan for him to come either. Perhaps he will ride with one of the soldiers," Zelda replied, eyebrows furrowing as she thought about what to do. Vaati smirked and muttered something under his breath. While Link and Zelda could not hear what he said, Impa was close enough to understand his words. She scowled as she reached forward, grabbed a large handful of the sorcerer's hair, and pulled it painfully back into the sorcerer was twisted around to face her.

"Speak against the princess like that again and I'll rip out your tongue and force-feed it to you, understand?" Impa hissed. Vaati glared at the sheikah and muttered something. She then let go of his hair and returned to Zelda's side. Several of the soldiers stared at Impa in wide-eyed shock, although they all returned to their task when Impa glared at them in annoyance.

"Link, is there a chance he could ride with you?" Zelda asked. Vaati stared at Zelda before bursting into quiet maniacal laughs, amused at the very idea of sharing a horse with Link. Impa glared at him in annoyance, a glare that he completely ignored in his amusement.

"He's not riding with me, princess," Link stated as he crossed his arms across his chest. Zelda frowned.

"You could just leave me here, I would not mind it at all," Vaati said. Zelda stared at him before pulling Impa aside to talk to her about what they should do.

* * *

In the end, Vaati ended up being stuck on a young packhorse. The packhorse did not mind having the sullen sorcerer on its back, although it was surprised at being in the front of the group instead of near the rear of the group with the other packhorses. Link's stallion found the new horse interesting and decided the best way to inspect the new horse was to annoy it. Vaati brooded the whole trip back to the castle, glancing around occasionally to glare at the sheikah woman. Impa ignored his glares for the most part, only bothering to notice him when he started attempting some sort of magic. Every time he tried, she would reach out and smack him hard enough to make him lose his concentration. By the time the castle was within sight, the left side of his face was red from all the painful smacks the sheikah had given him.

They reached Castletown in the late afternoon, which meant that the street was crowded with market stalls and people hoping to haggle their wares and wages for things they needed. Link frowned as he noticed the large crowds, wondering how long it would take for them to get through the crowds to reach the castle. The crowd did not even notice the group approaching, they were too focused on what they were doing to notice the princess arriving. Vaati was staring at the castle in faint amusement, as if remembering something from his past.

"Soldier, call out to the crowds so that we may pass," Zelda said. The nearest soldier saluted her before walking out towards the crowd.

"Step aside, Princess Zelda has returned! Make way for the princess!" the soldier shouted. Several people did not hear the man's shout, but all who heard him quickly turned to see what he was talking about. The crowd that saw them grew quiet as they backed away, leaving an open passage through the plaza. Link could feel his face turn red as he noticed someone familiar push her way through the crowd until she could see him clearly. Malon stared at him in astonishment and confusion as the group passed by, ignoring the cucco squawking furiously in her arms.

"Is something wrong?" Impa asked quietly, her voice low enough that only Link could hear it over the crowd. Link shook his head and looked ahead towards the castle.

* * *

"I must admit, the castle has certainly been improved upon since the last time I came here. The old castle was far more drafty and dusty than this one," Vaati commented as he glanced around the chamber. The four of them were in a small room near the entrance hall, a room hidden well enough that no nobles could hear them but close enough for Zelda to call for help in case the sorcerer suddenly regained his powers. Zelda and Vaati were both sitting on opposite ends of a small table while Link and Impa remained standing.

"Rebuilding a castle from the ground up would get rid of dust," Link grumbled angrily under his breath. Vaati glared at him before crossing his arms and sinking lower in the chair.

"After what has happened in the Kokiri Forest, it is obvious that this demon is going after the ocarinas. It is probably best if…" Zelda started.

"Princess, it would be wise to bind the sorcerer to our cause before we start talking about our plans," Impa stated, glaring at Vaati as if suspecting him of planning to run straight to the demon and reporting all he had heard. Vaati glared back at her before returning to his brooding.

"What exactly is this 'bond', princess?" Link asked nervously.

"It is a link between an inhabitant of the dark realm and a person from this realm. When formed, it forces the dark creature to assist the person in any way possible until either the contract is complete or the creature dies. If the person controlling the dark creature dies, the dark creature is condemned to eternal suffering from which it cannot be saved," Zelda explained.

"If I had my powers, you would not insult me as you are doing now. You all would be kneeling before my power and begging for me to spare your pathetic lives," Vaati grumbled, glaring at Zelda almost as if he was expecting Zelda to cower like he had said.

"Maybe, but most likely not," Impa remarked coolly. Vaati glared at her.

"Then we better do it before he gets any ideas about escaping," Link stated. Zelda nodded before turning her attention on the sorcerer. The sorcerer glared back at her, as if trying to intimidate her out of going through with her plan. He grinned as she closed her eyes, but then realized that she was concentrating on the spell.

"_Goddesses of Hyrule, we ask for your assistance. Today, we wish to bind the dark sorcerer Vaati to the Hero of Time Link_..."

"Hero of Time, what a stupid title," Vaati growled.

"..._despite what he is and what he has done, it has been deemed appropriate to bind him to light's service._.."

"Not my choice,"

"…_to honor and assist the chosen master to the extent of his abilities and_…"

"Which I won't,"

"Must you interrupt me? This is a rather long spell and I want to complete it as quickly as possible before it night falls," Zelda growled as she opened her eyes and glared at the sorcerer.

"Yes, because I do not want to be stuck following this damn hero all across the damn country," Vaati replied.

"Your highness, may I dislocate his shoulder again? I am certain it will keep him quiet until you can finish the spell," Impa asked quietly. Vaati flinched when the woman mentioned his shoulder and looked prepared to get out of his chair to run, as if that would keep her from catching him and ripping out his arm again.

"No, Impa, you may not…" Zelda started saying before a loud noise interrupted him. Zelda, Impa, and Link all stared at the sorcerer, who was the source of the sudden noise.

"What was that? Did you really just make that noise?" Zelda asked, both startled and amused by the noise. The sorcerer turned red and glared at the floor, as if it was the source of the noise and not him. Impa noticed this and stared at Vaati, thinking to herself. She stood up and walked out into the hall. After a few moments, she returned with a plate overflowing with food. She sat it down on the table in front of Vaati. The sorcerer immediately noticed the food, focusing his whole attention on the plate sitting before him.

"You are hungry, correct?" Impa asked quietly.

"I have not eaten food in several centuries, of course I am hungry. I only survived my imprisonment by feeding off of my magic," Vaati retorted, not even bothering to look away from the food sitting in front of him to glare at her. Impa smiled as she pushed the plate towards the sorcerer and stepped away. He immediately grabbed the fruit and began eating, ignoring both manners and courtesy as he tried to eat as fast as he could. Zelda and Link both stared at the hungry sorcerer in mixed amusement and disgust.

"Finish the bonding while he is busy shoving his face full of food," Impa said. Vaati heard her and flushed angrily, but it did not stop him from eating as quickly as he could. Link did not even notice Zelda continue the chant, only watching the sorcerer in mixed horror. He hoped that the plate was enough to appease the sorcerer's appetite for the time being; otherwise he would bankrupt Link with such an outrageous appetite.

"There, it is done," Zelda stated. Link glanced at her, confused for a moment. He then realized that she was talking about the binding spell.

"I'm still hungry, but that little meal will suffice for now," the sorcerer growled as he wiped food off of his face, ignoring what Zelda had said entirely.

"I've never seen anyone eat like that before. That is disgusting," Link stated, staring at the empty plate and the sorcerer in astonishment.

"When you are sealed for a couple of centuries with only your own magic to sustain yourself with, then you can insult me on my manners," Vaati replied, frowning at the insult.

"Since I had to go through seven years of sleep without magic to sustain me, I think that gives me enough incentive to insult you," Link retorted. Vaati stared at him in confusion, but remembered the title Zelda had given Link before and began brooding again.

"Link, it would be wise to try a command to make sure that the binding spell worked. It would be bad if the spell turned out to have failed," Zelda stated. Link stared at the sorcerer, who looked ready to leap up and strangle Zelda for suggesting the idea, and wondered what type of command to give the sorcerer.

"Stand up," Link said. The sorcerer froze, glared at Link, and then slowly stood up. Link grinned as the commands reminded him of the time the ranch received a dog. Link had been the one who trained the dog, teaching it how to sit, bark on command, and to guard the ranch from intruders. They had eventually lost the dog to the cuccos when the dog decided that it was hungry and did not kill the cucco it was attacking before it called for its friends.

"Speak, Vaati," Link stated. The sorcerer tried his hardest to remain quiet, red eyes gleaming in fury.

"Ass-hole," Vaati finally growled.

"Should I make him roll over, princess?" Link asked.

"I am not a bitch that is to be trained for some spoiled brat!" Vaati roared as Zelda burst into giggles.

"As amusing as this is, we have better things to do than treat the sorcerer as if he was a dog," Impa stated, her voice unusually flat and emotionless. Link glanced at her and noticed that she was hiding a smile behind her hand. Vaati grimaced as he glared at Link.

"You are right, Impa," Link replied. Vaati relaxed slightly as he heard that, although he kept an angry eye on Link.

"Now that it is out of the way, we should talk about what to do next, but..." Zelda started before stopping herself. She glared at Link for a moment, who realized that she wanted him to make sure Vaati wasn't going to talk to anyone about their plans.

"Do not speak about what we talk about in this room with anyone unless asked by either me, Princess Zelda, or Impa," Link said, glaring at Vaati as he spoke. Vaati turned red again as he tried to fight against the spell that was compelling him before he finally gave in.

"Very well, goddess-spawn. Can I sit back down now?" Vaati hissed. Link smiled before nodding. The sorcerer immediately sat back down in the chair and began sulking.

"Thank you, Link. If the ocarina of water and forest have been threatened, then it is only logical that the others are at risk as well. I do not know why the demon would want the ocarinas, but we can not risk waiting until we figure out why. Which sage do you think the demon will go after next?" Zelda continued.

"It is difficult to say. I think we should head to Death Mountain first..." Link started to say. He was interrupted by sudden laughter. He turned and glared at Vaati.

"What are you laughing about?" Impa hissed.

"Death Mountain? It is really still called Death Mountain? I thought that the name would have changed to something a tad more realistic eventually," Vaati explained in between laughs.

"Very well. After Death Mountain, check in at the shadow temple to insure that it is still sealed. If the demon is hiding somewhere, then it is probably close to the shadow temple," Zelda said.

"I will, princess," Link replied.

"Princess, it would be best if you retired for the day. The advisers are surely waiting for you to tell them why you decided to run off to the Kokiri forest," Impa said. Zelda nodded before standing up. Link stood up and followed the two women out into the hall, leaving the brooding sorcerer in the room.

"Please send a courier once you reach Death Mountain. I will do some more research here and see if I can find anything about the demon," Zelda said.

"Very well, princess. Good day," Link replied. Zelda smiled before she turned and followed Impa deeper into the castle and out of sight.

"So, how exactly do we get out of this damn castle? I'm hungry and I saw a good stand out at that market that I want to look at," Vaati growled as he stepped out of the room. Link sighed before he turned back the other way and started down the corridor, pretending that he did not hear the soft pattering of footsteps behind him.

* * *

"Link, what are you doing here? You said you would be back last night! I was so worried about you," Malon asked, trying hard not to cry as she yelled at Link. Link turned red in embarrassment, he had been expecting to meet Malon out in the market. Instead, she had followed the group to the castle and had been waiting for him to appear in the main entrance. Several of the nobles smirked as they lingered near them, obviously listening in on their conversation. Vaati stood nearby, ignoring Link to the best of his abilities.

"I know I was supposed to return last night, but I ended up having to accompany the princess somewhere. I did not mean to make you worry about me," Link replied.

"Next time, send a message to me before you go running off. I thought something happened to you, like you got robbed or murdered or…" Malon replied, her voice trailing away as she glared accusingly at Link.

"I promise to let you know if something like this happens again, okay?" Link replied. Malon continued glaring at him before she smiled weakly.

"Fine. But, if you do it again, I swear I will lock you out of the house," Malon mumbled before she reached out and hugged Link. Link hugged her back, feeling even worse for forgetting about her the previous night.

"As wonderful as it was to listen to you squabble with the girl, I'm still hungry," Vaati called out in annoyance. Malon frowned as she pulled away from Link and turned to stare at Vaati, who simply ignored her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is of no concern to you, girl. Why don't you run along before you annoy me to death," Vaati replied. Malon blushed angrily and crossed her arms across her chest.

"He won't be coming to the ranch, right?" Malon asked as she turned her back on the sorcerer.

"Sorry Malon, but I still have to help the princess with something. I can't go back to the ranch yet," Link replied. Malon stared at him, surprise wiping away her anger.

"Oh, that's okay. I better go meet up with my father. Send me a letter when you get there, I suppose. Bye," Malon replied before she turned and walked out of the entrance hall. Several of the noble ladies that had been listening in on their conversation glared at Link, as if he had done something wrong, before hurrying off to their next destination.

"You didn't have to be mean to her, you know," Link growled.

"Course I did, I knew it would annoy you. If I am stuck with you, then I'm going to make your life so unbearable that you are forced to release me from this damn bond," Vaati retorted.

"We will see about that, kid," Link replied, making sure that the sorcerer heard the word kid. Vaati immediately turned dark red.

"I'm centuries older than you are. In fact, I should be calling you child instead! You are the child here, not me!" Vaati roared, his face contorted with uncontrolled rage that shook the sorcerer's entire body. Link ignored the sorcerer and started towards the exit.


End file.
